Hidden Side
by P.S. Beware
Summary: Pre-DGM slightly AU? Kanda, Lavi and Lenalee are sent on a mission to investigate the appearance of a mysterious white-haired exorcist who seems to know a lot more than what he's supposed to.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Hey everyone! This is my first time posting a fanfiction here so I'm treating this as practice. I'm not sure how things work here exactly yet, not to mention I'm a newbie when it comes to this stuff (I mean writing). So if you find any mistakes or if you have any suggestions, please tell me!

**Summary: **Pre-DGM, slightly AU? Kanda, Lavi and Lenalee are sent on a mission to investigate the appearance of a mysterious white-haired exorcist who seems to know a lot more than what he's supposed to. (Suggestions for a better summary are accepted! :))

**Disclaimer: **I don't own D.gray Man. Does anyone else think this sentence is a bit overused already? xD

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**Prologue**

Normally, he wouldn't need three exorcists for confirming a rumor regarding the existence of Innocence; however, something is proving to be make things more difficult for Komui. He looked through the various papers in his desk containing reports he believed were related to each other, working, for once, without Reever's constant (pissed-off?) reminders. Something about this case intrigued him, and he had a vague feeling in his gut that this isn't something to be taken lightly; in fact, he felt that this was a major thing to consider, however illogical gut feelings may seem. He took his cup and sipped his coffee without averting his eyes from the documents that lay before him, whether in fear of losing his train of thoughts or simply due to extreme interest, no one knows. He wondered if he's making a wise decision, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

Three consecutive knocks, along with a muffled _"Nii-san" _came from the door and shook him out of his concentration. He almost forgot the cup in his hand, trying to run (more like skipping in glee) and open the door for his precious sister. Fortunately, he caught himself on time and placed the cup down on the table first, before proceeding to welcome the Chinese girl with a glomp.

Well, we all know what happens whenever Lenalee appears in front of Komui, so I won't even bother writing that part.

A few "gah"s and "che"s later, Komui was finally calm enough to explain the mission. The three exorcists who were assigned to this, namely Lenalee, Lavi and Kanda, sat on the couch, waiting for Komui to start. Komui cleared his throat, and began to give them folders containing information about their task.

"I have received reports from Finders about the confirmation of Innocence in the area I had provided you," Komui started as the exorcists opened their folders and began to read some of the information as he went along. "As you may, or may not know, recently whenever I send exorcists on missions to retrieve confirmed existences of Innocence, someone beats them to it. We still have no information about who's doing it, however, according to the Finders' report, whenever this mysterious person comes to get the Innocence, the akumas around the area seem to disappear, or rather, they seem to be gotten rid of."

This caught the attention of all three exorcists in the room. Even Kanda, though he would never show it.

"Do you think it's a person containing Innocence, nii-san?" Lenalee asked.

"My dear Lenalee, we don't know for sure, that's why I'm sending you three on this mission. I want you to retrieve the Innocence and confirm the identity of this person who's been snatching the Innocence and killing akumas before our exorcists even get there," Komui answered. "I've sent some exorcists to do the same before, but they were unable to find out anything. This person is proving to be tricky. If he is indeed a person containing Innocence, I want you to bring him here if you can."

"Heh… This seems like an interesting mission," Lavi said in a happy-go-lucky way.

"…But isn't it rather strange? Normally people who have Innocence outside the Order don't know how to use them unless they've been trained by a general, which would mean the general is with them," Lenalee wondered. Komui grinned proudly.

"Ah! What a very good point my dear Lenalee! As expected of my precious sister! I'm so proud of–"

"Che… Just get straight to the point, sister-complex," Kanda interrupted before Komui went on a full-blown speech about how proud he is of his dearest sister. Lenalee blushed in embarrassment.

"Ahem… Anyways, to answer my beautiful, dearest, most precious –"

"Umm… Komui…" This time, it was Lavi who interrupted, backing away from Kanda who seemed to be really close to unsheathing Mugen in annoyance. Lenalee sighed and bonked her brother on the head with a clipboard she randomly found on the table.

"Nii-san, please just get on with it," Lenalee scolded as Komui clutched the part in his head where his sister hit him, muttering something along the lines of 'yeshh Lenalee'. He, once again, cleared his throat.

"As my dear Lenalee pointed out to us, usually when an exorcist knows how to use their Innocence, they're with a general, because they would need someone to teach them. This person knows, not only about Innocence, but also about akumas. Considering the fact that none of the Finders see anyone else with this person, and that when we contacted the generals, none of them knew of this, I think that someone else outside the Order have taught him. Of course, there's still a possibility of General Cross however, I don't see why he wouldn't be in contact with us for this long. Also, why wouldn't he send this person to the Order if it was indeed him who taught this person? And… well… Honestly, I can't imagine General Cross teaching someone," Komui said, twitching at the image that came to his head with Cross torturing an apprentice to no end while laughing like a maniac. He shivered and shook his head to get rid of the picture. Apparently, the others were thinking along the same lines, sharing scared looks and possibly pity for someone who would end up as Cross' apprentice…if he would have one.

"Anyways, you guys are to disguise yourselves as normal townspeople. The reason for this is that if this person sees you in your exorcist uniform, he or she might change his or her route. I tried tracing this person's movements and the place you are going to right now is where I think this person will appear next. If he – let's just refer to this person as a 'he' – recognizes you as people from the Order, he might run away and our chances of figuring out his identity would become smaller. Apparently this person has something against the Order, according to other reports. We don't know why as of yet."

There was a moment of silence among the exorcists, thinking about their latest mission. After all, this is the first time they had ever encountered a situation like this.

After a while, another "che" came from Kanda and Komui dismissed them after hugging Lenalee's knees and crying, muttering stuff like 'be careful' or 'I was only forced to send you to this mission'. They left to pack their stuff, leaving Komui alone with his thoughts once more. He doesn't know whether or not to believe that General Cross is somehow involved in this, having not been in contact for a long time. Should he be worried? Is the general betraying them? Komui, once again, shook his head.

_I shouldn't doubt anyone here! _

Komui mentally slapped himself.

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**A/N:** Ok that's how it starts, I guess… Please tell me what you think by reviewing! Until the next update!


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: **To all those who reviewed… a very big THANK YOU! I wouldn't have updated this as fast as I did if it wasn't for you guys! :) Also, thank you to those people who read it (even if they didn't review) and put this in their alert or favorites list!

Oh and I've been wondering about this, but what are hits for? Sorry I'm a bit new to this site so I'm clueless lol... xD

Anyways, again, if you see any mistakes or anything you want to suggest, please tell me! English isn't my first language, so please don't hesitate to correct any errors I might have. That aside, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **D.gray Man is not mine. I wouldn't be writing fanfictions if it was, and the story wouldn't have been as good as it is now. T.T

* * *

**Chapter One**

"…_a demon…"_

"_He's a demon! He's not my child! I don't want him!"_

"_Leave him on the streets, maybe he'll just die."_

"_This cursed child will bring misfortune to our village!"_

"_Then chase him out! Hopefully he won't come back!"_

"_Oh why does it have to be my sister who carried this disgusting creature? She had wanted a baby for so long…"_

"_I don't want this child… He's not mine… This thing isn't my son…"_

_Faces flashed in hues of red and black as shadows covered the people's appearances yet showed the way their lips moved. This scene was viewed as if it was shown in the eyes of a terribly frightened child, desperate for an alternate reality where none of these were true; where he was accepted, or better, where this curse he had never existed. _

_Suddenly, a melody was heard…_

_(And then the boy fell deep asleep, breathing heavily…)_

_The scene dissolved into hundreds more, flashing too quickly for anyone to understand anything._

_(The gasping flames within the ashes, one by one rise up and expand into that beloved face…)_

"_No matter what, keep walking…"_

_(…suspended from the Earth, thousands of dreams…)_

"_No! Please… Please don't leave me alone!"_

_(On the night when those silver eyes trembled, you were born, shining brightly…)_

"_How dare you turn me into an akuma!"_

_(Hundreds of millions of months and years…)_

"_Father, run!"_

_(No matter how many prayers are returned to Earth…)_

"_I love you…"_

_(…I shall continue to pray…)_

"_Please destroy me…"_

_(Please give this child love, joined hands, and a kiss…)_

_--_

Lenalee gasped as she sat up all of a sudden from the bed, her dream startling her and woke her up. She took deep breaths to calm herself down before looking at the clock from across the room. _5 a.m., _it read. Lenalee sighed. She went back to lying down, hopefully getting more sleep but it wasn't happening. Thoughts about the little boy she saw in her dream were bothering her and she couldn't help but feel sad the more she thought about it. Finally deciding that she couldn't go back to sleep, she got up, fixed the bed, got dressed in normal clothes (as Komui had instructed them) and decided to go outside to get some fresh air. It was too early for there to be something to eat and the shops were still closed.

As she opened the door, she saw Lavi do the same from his room, also wearing his casual clothes. They were staying at an inn and the only rooms they could afford were single rooms that were small and only meant for sleeping, so they each have their own. Lavi closed his door and saw Lenalee.

"Yo, Lenalee! Good morning!"

"Good morning Lavi. You're up early."

"So are you," Lavi smiled, put his hands behind his head, and the two of them started walking down the stairs. "I had a dream and it was bothering me so I couldn't go back to sleep. Decided I might as well get up," he explained. Lenalee paused.

"What kind of dream?" she asked. Lavi noticed Lenalee stopped, so he stopped as well.

"Well, I didn't really understand much of it. There were too many things happening at once. But I do remember a hearing a melody," the red head answered. "It was a peaceful one, but somehow I can't help but think it had a hint of sadness to it. I also saw a little boy with..." Lavi hesitated, seemingly wanting to forget that part. Lenalee's eyes widened a little.

"Was there… an akuma…?"

"How did you know?"

"…Lavi, I think we may have had the same dream…"

There was a pause before Lavi spoke again.

"What do you think that means? Do you think Yu had the same dream?"

"I don't know about Kanda," Lenalee said. _Although I wouldn't be surprised if he's awake already, _she added in her mind. "But I think the dream we had might be something important, especially if Kanda also saw it."

They continued down the stairs and saw their raven haired companion out in the inn's garden, meditating. They decided against disturbing him at the moment, fearing that if they did, they might be faced with a very grumpy Asian. So, asking him about the dream he had was currently not an option, and even if they did ask about it, Kanda probably wouldn't tell them anyway. Lavi was determined to ask him anyway though. The red head was curious about this whole thing, and nothing can get in the way of his curiosity, even if it meant he's going to personally meet the _very_ sharp end of Mugen. He wanted to lessen the chance of that though, so he waited along with Lenalee until their friend is finished with his meditation. As they waited, they started to review their mission again in their heads.

They arrived in this town yesterday, but it was already late in the evening at that time so they decided to stay at this inn for the meantime. During their journey on the train, they checked the documents Komui gave them and read through it. According to the reports, the Finders couldn't exactly pinpoint the location of the Innocence but has confirmed its existence. It seems that the Innocence didn't stay in one place and it was impossible to trace its movements. Its real power is unknown, and the only reason the Finders were able to confirm it existed was the fact that they saw it. It was moving so fast so they couldn't do anything. All they knew was that in this town, all the people generally kept on talking about the same thing for one day, only to change topics the next. They also suddenly began to be highly religious, offering sacrifices and praying. The Finders were unable to find anything else aside from this about the Innocence, because whenever they would ask a person, said person would just tell them that it's not for them to tell. They believed they would be punished by the gods if they spoke of it.

Komui also included in the report information about the possible exorcist. It said that the appearance, age and motives were unknown and that this person hates the Order according to previous missions. The reason for his hostility towards them is also unknown. It would also seem that he knows about the Earl and akumas, as well as the Noahs. This was determined by exorcists who saw him fight the akumas, who were talking about the Earl, the Noahs and their plans. The person didn't seem surprised, troubled or confused and he just finished them off quickly and disappeared. Previous encounters also showed that he was covered in white cloak, which seemed to glow, and his face was covered with a silver mask. His head was covered in the hood of his Innocence-like cloak.

Both Lavi and Lenalee snapped out of their thoughts when they saw that Kanda was finished with his morning routine. Lavi, being Lavi, called Kanda by his first name again and rushed towards him, wanting to ask his friend about his dream. Before he could start asking though, Mugen's tip was already pointed on his face and he backed away slowly, never taking his eyes off the sword in case Kanda suddenly had the urge to chop him into pieces.

"I told you not to call me that, stupid rabbit," the raven-haired man threatened in a serious tone… not that he talks in any other tone aside from that and an angry one.

"Y-Yes Yuu-cha- I mean, yes Kanda-sama!" Lavi exclaimed while sweating profusely in fear as Mugen was dangerously getting closer to slicing him to bits. Fortunately, Lenalee finally decided to end her amusement in watching the two and stopped Kanda's murderous thoughts before he could actually inflict them on the poor, unsuspecting rabbit. Well, maybe the rabbit already had his suspicions but you get the point.

"So, what did you dream about last night?" Lenalee asked. Kanda just stared at her.

"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Because both Lenalee and I had the same dream and we were wondering if you did too!" Lavi cheerfully answered.

"Che… And this is supposed to be important?"

"Maybe… It might mean something, especially if all of us saw it."

So, Kanda told them in a very blunt and short way about what he dreamt about. They discovered their dreams were all the same.

"Wonder if it's the Innocence in this town," Lavi thought aloud.

--

A few hours later, they went to eat breakfast. Hoping to get as much information as he could, Lavi listened into some of the conversations since the people here obviously weren't answering any of their questions. He soon found out something that surprised him, and he decided to share his newly acquired knowledge to his friends, realizing his earlier guess was probably right after all.

"Hey you guys… There's really something strange here, and I think I just learned what the Innocence actually does," Lavi declared, catching the attention of both his companions. "Remember that dream we had? It seems like everyone here is talking about the same thing…"

"Yes that's right," another voice said. They all turned around to look at an old lady standing with her left hand at her back and her right hand on a cane.

"U-Um… Sorry but what do you mean by that?" Lenalee politely asked, not really sure on what to call the old lady. They were wondering how long she had been there in case she heard something but they decided that making a normal conversation would remove further suspicion.

"Everyone here dreams of the same thing at the same time, however, the dream differs every night," she clarified, her eyes deep with experience as she gazed at each of them with knowing eyes. "You children must be from the Order. I used to be a supporter once, but I'm too old now so I decided I might as well live my remaining life in peace."

The tension that the exorcists felt was relieved when they heard that this lady might be able to help them. From her, they learned that the Innocence was what caused people to suddenly become religious, since they found out that they all shared the same dreams at night. They believed those were messages, and that was all they talked about, aside from other trivial things in their everyday lives. The lady, however, told them that these weren't messages. The Innocence shows people the past of the person who's closest to it in location. Everyone in the town aside from the actual person who owns the past would have the same dream. It differs every night because the Innocence is also constantly moving.

All of a sudden, realization hit the three of them.

"W-Wait… Wasn't there an akuma in our dream…?" Lenalee hesitantly asked.

"Yes there was," Lavi answered. "Then… that means…"

"That boy we saw with the akuma in our dream is still alive," Kanda continued. "And at the moment, he's the one nearest the Innocence."

A pause.

"No way…"

--

The exorcists tried to remember carefully what the boy looked like and tried visualizing an older version of him. Lavi always ended up laughing due to his very…unique imagination, causing glares from Kanda and frustrated sighs from Lenalee. They didn't exactly know the current age of the person so they decided visualizing him as an older version wouldn't help them much. After a while, they went outside to look, keeping in mind that the boy had brunette hair. That was the only clue they had at the moment, and there were a lot of people here with the same hair color so they asked each one whether or not they dreamt of something last night. They figured that the person without a dream or with a different dream was the person they were looking for, and that meant the Innocence was somewhere near.

Suddenly, there was a hooded figure running towards them with his head looking the other way as if trying to escape from someone or something. He was moving too fast that they barely had enough time to get out of the way, resulting in a crash. The hooded person fell back and the impact caused his hood to slip back. Kanda's surprise wasn't that evident but he was surprised nevertheless while Lavi and Lenalee just stared in amazement.

'_White hair…?!' _they all thought at the same time.

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**A/N: **…And they meet! Sorry if it seems like it's going a bit too fast. If you want me to change that, please just tell me! I'm open to suggestions! Also, to be honest, I'm not very confident about this fic. I don't know why but I don't think I'm doing a very good job of putting this together. I don't even know how to end this yet, I just decided to post it and make up the storyline as I go. xD

Oh and I know this is a bit overused already, but please review! They really encourage me to write more… and faster. :)

Anyways, it's 2 a.m. here right now so I better go sleep. Until the next update!


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N: **Whew… Another update done… I'm supposed to be busy right now, but I just can't concentrate on doing it at the moment. xP So I decided to update instead! :) Thank you to all those who reviewed and sorry for the delayed chapter!

Just two notes –firstly, I decided to write this chapter in Lavi's POV so you know what to expect and secondly, I might be a bit slower in updating this time. The reason is written in my profile. Sorry!

Anyway, I'm not even sure how many people still read this part so I'll just get on with the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Erm… I'm assuming you already know what's written here. Do people still even read this part?? O.O

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**Chapter Two**

As I recovered from the impact of the crash and looked up at the person who just bumped into us, I couldn't help but think how strange this person seemed. At first, I honestly thought he was an old man with his white hair, but when I took a closer look, he looked no older than us. Actually, he looked younger than us but his hair is _white_! It just seemed so peculiar to me. I've been to a lot of places in my life, recording history with Panda but I've never seen hair with that color at that age. It doesn't look bad on him though, it actually suits him pretty well.

I took another closer look when I thought that this person seemed familiar. I know I haven't met him before, because if I did, I would've remembered, not only because of my memory but also because, in my opinion, _anyone _would remember him because of his hair…and scar. I did a double take when I spotted his scar. I wanted to make sure that it was a _pentacle_ I saw on his forehead that started the mark that ran all the way across his left eye through his cheek. It looks like it had been a painful cut, despite the strange shape. I wonder if Lenalee and Yu noticed it too.

As the boy hastily put his hood back on to cover his hair, I suddenly found out I had been staring. I noticed Lenalee and Yu had been doing the same; of course, who wouldn't wonder about what kind of story this person has with his trademarks that seemed to defy all normality? I don't mean that in a bad way though. Said boy quickly stood back up and I honestly thought he was going to make a run for it. I was, again, surprised that he apologized and offered us a hand in getting up – not to mention he was smiling politely – despite the fact that we might have made him uncomfortable. I gladly took it, and so did Lenalee. We both said our thanks but Kanda just stood up on his own, ignoring the boy's outstretched hand.

"Che, I don't need your help, beansprout. And watch where you're going." Obviously that came from Yu but… beansprout? I was desperately holding back a fit of laughter. I swear I saw the boy's eye twitch at the nickname but he kept his polite smile. This made me want to laugh even more.

"I'm sorry and my name isn't beansprout, sir," he pointed out.

"Oi, you there!"

"Eeep!" white-haired boy exclaimed when he heard the gruff-sounding voices from a distance coming closer. I couldn't help but be amused by his antics.

Suddenly, I felt a gush of wind and next thing I knew, the beansprout wasn't there anymore. I looked at Lenalee and Yu, with the former one being as clueless as I am and the latter looking the opposite direction with an eyebrow raised as if saying 'what the heck?'. I followed the direction where Yu was looking, only to find a cloud of smoke behind beansprout as he ran at top speed. _Wow, he's fast for a normal person,_ I thought. Suddenly, a whole group of tough looking men were in front of us. _Scary, _was the first thing that entered my mind.

"Hey, do you know where that person you were talking to a while ago went?" one of them asked. I had to look up to be able to see their faces. They were _huge, _not to mention intimidating with their muscles and all. I wondered what the beansprout had done to make these people chase after him. Comparing how small the kid was and how massive these men are, I'd say beansprout's in BIG trouble.

"He went that way," I said, pointing to different direction from where the beansprout's really gone. I couldn't help but pity him. Those men looked like people you don't want to mess with. Well, unless you're Yu that is. They went to where I pointed and Lenalee sighed in relief when they were gone.

"Why were those men after that boy?" Lenalee asked. I was thinking along the same lines and I don't think even Yu knew the answer so I guess she asked that without really expecting an answer. Those men earlier remind me of those debt collectors Panda and I saw chasing after people in our travels for some reason though…

"Maybe beansprout-chan has debts to pay?" I voiced out. But there was another thing bothering me. I usually know for certain when I've seen something due to my photographic memory so I've never felt vague familiarity, like how it was with the beansprout. I decided to make my thoughts known.

"Do you guys somehow feel that he's familiar?"

"Yeah… I feel like I've seen him somewhere, I just can't remember where," Lenalee answered. I left it at that and figured that if it's something I'm supposed to remember, I would. I wouldn't completely trust him yet though. There's still a possibility that he's an akuma in disguise.

"Whatever. Let's just get this mission over and done with," said Yu walking ahead. We all decided to go to the same direction as the kid earlier and ask around there. That's the only place left that we haven't been to yet, so might as well. The town was quite small, so it probably won't even take a day to explore it.

--

After splitting up and a few hours of more asking around, we met at an intersection and found out we still came up with nothing. All the people with the same hair-color as the one in the dream had the same dreams, so they were all out. At that time, we were pretty sure that all we've asked all the auburn-haired people already, whether they're children or adults, and we were beginning to lose hope of ever finding this person. We decided to eat a late lunch and resume asking around once we're done.

Just then, we spotted the beansprout with his hood on, playing…poker? Wasn't he too young for that? But then I thought, maybe he just looked young. He was playing poker with a couple of adults, and all of them seemed frustrated. They must've been losing against him judging by their facial expressions. The bean's innocent face must've been what made these people underestimate him, I thought. He won again, and he must've been winning most, if not all, of the games considering the amount of money that he gained. Seriously, this kid is full of surprises.

After collecting the money from reluctant people, he thanked them and bowed. I figured it wouldn't hurt to talk to him again and ask him why those men were chasing after him. Probably we'll remember why he seemed familiar when we talk to him and he might be able to help us too. Lenalee was probably thinking along the same lines, and Yu looked like he wanted to go somewhere else and work on his own. There weren't anywhere else to look though, so I guess that's why he stayed.

We were about to approach him when he seemed to have seen something and stopped walking. I stopped and looked at the direction he was looking at and saw a little girl who looked homeless and malnourished sitting in an alley with cardboard, probably as a makeshift bed. Her clothes had holes on them, some of them roughly patched up with fabric that didn't match. She kind of reminded me of the little boy in the dream. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but as a Bookman, I'm not supposed to. I've seen a lot of people like this in my travels with Panda and he always tells me off whenever I would go near to help them.

"Poor girl," Lenalee said, as she started to take a step to approach the girl and probably help her. She stopped, however, when she saw the beansprout come closer to the little girl, but he didn't go that close. I wondered why he kept more than an arm's reach between them if he was going to help her. He knelt down and then I saw that the little girl was slowly edging away, as if frightened. Beansprout smiled in a kind and –_ was that understanding?_ – way. He reached for something inside his cloak and took out a bag. I remember that bag. It was where all the money he earned – or won – was. He offered it to the little girl, who was still shaking in the corner in fear. I wondered why she would still be scared at someone offering her something when it came to me - she had probably been betrayed a lot of times before, and was scared that this beansprout would do the same thing. It was then I realized.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

It was as if he had dealt with this kind of person before, that's why he didn't come too close. He probably knew that the girl would be scared, and the distance was kept to keep her from having panic attacks. He didn't want to frighten her, but he wanted to help her too. He was still smiling in a gentle way, and the girl's fear was slowly turning into one closer to curiosity. Beansprout offered her the bag and she slowly stood up from her corner, cautiously walking toward him. She was hesitant, but the boy was patient and didn't force her into anything. Finally, she reluctantly took the bag and stared at him in question.

"Keep it," he said, answering the little girl's unspoken question. "Use it to buy food, clothes and somewhere to sleep."

The little girl's eyes slowly started to fill with tears and beansprout, with his smile still on, patted the little girl on the head and stood up.

"Use it wisely, ok?"

The little girl nodded and clutched the bag tighter. She looked up at him and smiled widely.

"T-thank you! Thank you so much!"

The little girl bowed and took off, probably to use the money that beansprout gave her. If he was playing poker with those guys for this, then I guess it wasn't bad. Lenalee was smiling as she watched what happened. Yu was silently standing there, but I knew he was watching too. At that time, I thought it was impossible for this boy to be an akuma. We weren't wearing our uniforms so he wouldn't recognize us and he didn't seem to see us so if he was an akuma, then he would've attacked that little girl. I was about to try and approach him again, his back was towards us so I guess he still didn't see us, when his face fell and he sighed.

"What am I going to do now…?" he asked no one in particular. I stopped again. "I'll never be able to pay master debts now. And those people will kill me!"

I blinked. I was surprised that I was right about the debts part but… master? That surprised me even more.

Just then, the kid turned back and was about to start walking again when he saw us. He stopped and waved at us. Lenalee started walking towards him, and I followed. A could've sworn I heard Yu mutter a 'che' before following too.

"Yo beansprout-chan!" I greeted while grinning. I couldn't hide my laughter anymore when his eye twitched again at the nickname and I swear I saw a small vein pop in his head.

"Why are you guys calling me that? That's not even close to my name…"

Lenalee chuckled.

"Ahh sorry about that," I said, recovering from my laughter. "The name's Lavi. Nice to meet cha!" I introduced myself. I don't even know why we're introducing ourselves to someone we don't know, but I feel as if we could trust him. I know Panda might kill me if he knew I was being careless.

"My name is Lenalee Lee but you can call me Lenalee." I guess Lenalee also trusted the beansprout. "The grumpy one over there is Kanda."

"Ah… My name is Al…" he started. I noticed he kind of trailed off a bit on the last part, as if he was going to continue saying something but decided against it. There was a brief flash of hesitation in his eyes, though I would've missed it if I blinked, before he continued, a bit more certain this time.

"You can call me Al. Nice to meet you too," he said while wearing his usual smile. I guess Lenalee didn't notice his brief pause. I'm not sure about Yu though.

"Che. Stupid beansprout."

"I'm not a beansprout! Why do you call me that anyway?"

"Because you look and act like one."

"Act…? Do beansprouts even move…?" 'Al' tilted his head to the side. Both Lenalee and I had to laugh at the two.

"…how stupid can you get?" This one, again, came from Kanda. I saw another angry vein appear on beansprout's head and I'm beginning to get scared that the two might end up killing each other soon. Fortunately, Lenalee decided to stop the two and invited 'Al' to come along with us. I guess she was thinking of asking him some questions about stuff that might help. As we started walking back to the inn we were staying at, my mind began to drift again.

I wondered what the earlier hesitance was for. I had the feeling that he was hiding something but maybe he just doesn't want to give us his real name because of the debt collectors. Then again, he could really be hiding something. Someone wearing a hood and a cloak in this warm weather isn't really someone you'd think normal, not to mention his strange scar and hair color. I was also wondering about this master he was talking about earlier, and why he seems familiar. It wouldn't be good to ask him these things directly though, he might run away or might get scared or suspicious. I finally decided on one question.

"Hey Al, why were those debt collectors after you?" I asked. I figured it was the safest question I could ask at the moment, since we did see the debt collectors. He froze.

Okay so maybe it's not the safest question.

"Ermm… That's because of my… foster father," he answered. His poker face was good, I had to admit, but my senses are better. I noticed his disgust as he said 'foster father'. And, again, there was a pause before he said 'foster' as if the person he was talking about wasn't really what he said the person was to him, and I'm beginning to get suspicious of this boy even more. Panda taught me how to pay attention to even the littlest of details and the training and constant nagging are paying off, I guess. But who knows, maybe he just has something against his so-called 'foster father'?

"What did your foster father do?" Lenalee asked.

"All those debts are his, and now I have to pay them! He never pays for his own, and he doesn't even use the money for anything important!" he blurted out. Okay, so he does have something against his foster father.

"So you were playing poker to be able to pay them off?"

"Yes."

"You must have really good luck then," I said, remembering how he constantly won against all those other players. It was almost unbelievable.

As soon as I finished saying that, a dark aura started surrounding the beansprout. He's now wearing a creepy grin, his innocent and polite demeanor quickly disappearing. I started to back away as he started to laugh in a sinister way.

"Hehehe… I never lose when it comes to poker…" he said, evil grin still in place. Then, as soon as it came, it disappeared and 'Al' is now back to his usual self again.

"Anyways, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. It was nice meeting you guys!"

Before we could say anything else, he ran off again. There goes our chance of getting help… and some answers. I sighed. Another thing to wonder about was his discomfort, and why he suddenly had to go when I thought he would come with us. I was planning on asking him more questions when we got back to the inn too. Obviously the people here won't answer most of our questions aside from questions about their dreams, and he seems to be the only one we could ask. Well, except for the old lady but she said she already told us everything she knew.

--

Once we got back to the inn, Lenalee decided to report back to Komui before he had a fit and Yu decided to go back outside. The sun was already starting to set so I decided I might as well go back to the room and rest until dinner. As soon as my head hit the pillow though, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that's happened in the mission already. Missions to retrieve Innocence weren't strange, but the mysterious possible exorcist was. The kid we met earlier wasn't exactly what you would call normal either, but maybe he wasn't related to the mission. It wouldn't hurt to wonder though.

I tried my best to sleep, but I found that I couldn't. The dream also had me wondering, and I couldn't help but wonder what I'll be seeing next the moment everyone's asleep in this town. The old lady earlier told us that it's possible for the Innocence to stay with one person, whether they are aware of if or not, for days, so there's a possibility that we'll still be looking for the same person tomorrow. Maybe once we have another dream, we'd have more clues. I do wish that the Innocence won't move on to another person though. That would make it harder to catch.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a loud crash coming from somewhere outside. It didn't seem to be near here, but it had to be something big if it was far and I could hear it from here. I stood up and went to the window. There was smoke coming from one of the shops a few streets from where we were right now and I saw something that vaguely looked like the top of an akuma's head. I quickly rushed outside and saw that Lenalee was already running outside too.

"Was that an akuma?" she asked. She activated her boots once we got outside the inn and I nodded.

"Yeah I guess it was. It looked like it," I answered. There was another explosion, and I activated my innocence too and extended it to get there faster. Lenalee used her boots.

As we approached, I saw Yu was already there, the akuma nowhere in sight, and the people nearby looked scared but otherwise relieved. No one got hurt, and I heard Lenalee sigh in relief. She started to take care of matters with the townspeople, trying to reassure them and started helping with some of the repairs.

"Nice one, Yu! Good thing you were outside, or else we would've been too late!" I said. The only thing I saw was a glint coming from Mugen and before I knew it, it was already pointed at me.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me by my first name?" he questioned, his voice threatening. I gulped.

"And besides, it wasn't me."

I blinked in question.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It was that guy Komui told us to investigate. The possible compatible-user. When I got here, he already defeated the akumas."

* * *

**A/N: **Hah… Finally that's done. xD So what do you think? I seriously still think there's something wrong here, I just don't know what. O.O Ahh well.

By the way, I still don't know what hits are for… Can somebody please tell me?

Anyways please review! They're really appreciated and they encourage me to update! :)


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: **I LIVE!! Geh… I'm SO sorry for the late update everyone! I'm not even going to bother making excuses because I know you guys hate them by now anyway, but I swear I had my reasons, not to mention this chapter was harder to write than I thought considering the fact that I have absolutely NO idea where I'm going with this. xD

Just one little thing, I changed my username from 'soul'smelody.x' to 'P.S. Beware'. Just letting you know. Also, I'm planning on re-writing some of the previous chapters but I'd have to find time. I'll let everyone know if I do re-write some of them. :)

Anyways, sorry I wasn't able to reply to everyone's reviews! I didn't have time, so I'm saying this here right now … THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I **REALLY** appreciate them! –gives out cookies to everyone who reviewed or read this story- That said, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Meh no ownage (also known as 'I don't own it').

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"_This is the last time I will ask this question. Will you join them?"_

"_No."_

"_Why?"_

"_We may have the same goal, but I don't agree with them. And for those who are part of that organization, but have no idea what's really going on inside their roofs, then they're just plain ignorant."_

"_So you're determined to keep away from them?"_

"_Yes."_

_Silence._

"…_You better stick to your word, idiot boy."_

He slowly opened his eyes and saw the endless expanse of the sky above where the reds and yellows are slowly beginning to dissolve into each other. The sun was setting, and it wasn't that long ago that he defeated the akumas and sensed the presence of Innocence being activated. _Exorcists, _he thought bitterly and sighed before getting up and stretching his arms as he gazed at the horizon. A gentle wind blew across the empty fields and a golden golem flew out of his cloak in a seemingly annoyed fashion for being disturbed by the movement. He closed his eyes as crosses started to appear on his forehead, his hair turning from white to auburn and his skin from pale to a light tan. Opening his eyes, his hair gently dancing with the wind as he watched the sunset, another thought ran into his mind.

_Would they still want me on their side once they find out what I really am? _

He chuckled mirthlessly.

_I don't think so._

---

As Komui sat on his desk reading the information he took note of while talking to Lenalee on the phone about Kanda's encounter a while ago, Reever wondered if their supervisor was sick. Not only was he doing his work for once, but he was actually _into_ it. What could possibly hold his attention this much that it actually made him work this hard? Reever shook his head. It doesn't matter as long as the supervisor was actually doing something useful. He took the pile (more like mountain) of paperwork that needed to be done by the slightly messed up scientist and delivered it to his table. As he dropped the pile on the desk, he craned his head to look at what their supervisor was working on, or to check whether or not he was actually doing his work or was just pretending. To his surprise, he was.

"Hey Reever."

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of Komui's voice that he almost jumped. _Almost._

"What is it?" he asked, curious and slightly – only slightly – disturbed by the supervisor's unusual behavior.

"Did any of our other reports about the mysterious exorcist that's stealing the Innocence say something about an eye that looks like… err… it's targeting something?"

So that's what it was about.

"No," Reever replied. "Did Lenalee and the others see him…or her or… whatever gender that person has?"

"Yes. But they said only Kanda saw him, and it was only for a few seconds."

"Are they alright? Any damage?"

"Yes, they're okay. Apart from some shops being ahem-squished-ahem, no other damage was done. But according to Lenalee, Kanda heard the akuma say something about the number fourteen and someone being a traitor, before the 'exorcist' destroyed the akuma. Other than that, Kanda didn't have any more information," Komui said. Reever didn't know why, but the expression on the supervisor's face made him think that there was something else on his mind but is hesitating on saying it – which was why he found himself standing there waiting.

Komui sighed and closed his eyes as he put down the papers in his hand. Reever noticed that his supervisor looked more tired than usual and was about to ask if he was alright when Komui starting speaking again.

"Reever, have you ever doubted anyone from the order before?"

---

Lenalee is having a dilemma. A while ago on their way back to the inn they were staying at, they passed by a suspiciously-dressed woman who claims to be a fortune-teller. Now, that wasn't really a big deal; in exorcism, it is included in their rather… invisible job description that they would meet all kinds of shifty-looking people, however in this case, it was what one of those shifty-looking people said that was bothering her. _Zer seems to be anozer side to zis war you are facing m'dearies. Pay very cloze attention to ze goings on around you, _she had said. _Zat boy with white hair that you're trying to chaze after, he seems to know somezing. Why don't you ask him?_

Now normally Lenalee would've ignored this politely, but the fact that this person seemed to know about the 'war' that no one else was supposed to know and that they were looking for someone made her think twice.

_Hang on... _Lenalee thought. _We're chasing after a boy with white hair?_

Remembering what Kanda encountered earlier on as well as the mysterious boy from a while ago, she decided to go look for the raven-haired exorcist with determination. This, however, proved to be a difficult feat, considering Kanda was nowhere to be found. She searched all throughout the inn including his room – even tried to search the streets near the inn, but to no avail. She had asked Lavi, but he didn't seem to know anything either. After a while, they both went outside looking for their friend around town, wondering all the time where he could've gone and why he disappeared without giving them even the slightest hint that he left to go somewhere.

---

"I know you're there. Stop hiding."

The deafening silence of the night was disturbed by the slight rustle behind the bushes as a figure emerged from it. It was dark; the moon being the only source of light had cast a shadow on the figure's face making it impossible to distinguish the features. After a few seconds, the figure slowly took confident yet cautious steps farther away from the bushes and into the moonlight. He slowly became visible – a scowl on his face with a sword on one side and raven-hair tied up in a high ponytail. He smirked.

"Sharp, are we? Didn't expect that from a beansprout like you."

"I told you before, it's Al. Last time I checked, I wasn't a beansprout. What do you want anyway?"

"Che. 'Al' my ass. How would I know you're not lying about your real name?"

"If you're here to take me back to your order, I suggest you turn back now, Kanda-san. I'm not going anywhere near that place."

"And why's that?"

"…You don't even know why I'm against your organisation and you're trying to catch me?"

Kanda twitched. It seemed like this potential exorcist is proving to be more difficult than he had first thought. The Asian thought that he would simply have to drag him to the order, however seeing the younger's abilities a while ago made him rethink, though he won't admit it. He knew the white-haired boy seemed to dislike the organisation but he thought that that was only because of the persistence of the others in trying to capture him and take him to headquarters. He didn't think there was a reason behind it and thought the reports were just exaggerating. Irritation bubbled up inside him and he reached for the hilt of Mugen, pissed off at the beansprout's last statement, but he didn't let it show. He masked his annoyance with an emotionless expression and a frown.

"You don't have any idea what exactly the order's been doing, do you?" The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. From Kanda's point of view, it looked like a tired smile. "After this much energy wasted on trying to catch me, I wonder if they'll still find it worth their time and effort once they find out."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The white-haired boy shook his head.

"Please forget everything I said. It's to your best interest, Kanda-san. Goodnight."

As the boy walked through the bushes, Kanda decided to stop him, however once he emerged from the bushes the beansprout went through, the white-head wasn't anywhere to be found.

_Che. _If possible, Kanda's scowl deepened. _Damn beansprout. _

* * *

Aaand… cut? I'm so sorry for ending it here! But the main purpose of this chapter is to introduce some… hints about what's going to happen next, plus a notice to people that I am very much alive and probably still kicking (if I can move under all these stuff my sensei wants me to finish xP). I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as I can, hopefully I'll get away with writing another chapter again soon. I'll try my best to escape, I promise! –cries-

Also, I apologise for the quality of my writing. I wrote this in a hurry, in an attempt to finish it before I'm caught procrastinating again and have another book hurled at my head. -sobs- I need all my brain cells, dammit! -wails-

Anyways, the usual please-review-`coz-it-encourages-me thingie shall be inserted here. Reviews motivate me to write more, and they can be inspiring too. :)


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